Poems and fiction in English by a writer from Finland.
International pictures also included.
Some facts, too. Occasionally.

Sunday, 8 April 2007

Singing in the rain

I have been thinking about starting singing lessons. I’ve always liked to sing, I do love music, but I’ve had some difficulties with my voice.

It doesn’t come out right. Or not the way I’d like to.

The other difficulty is the question of what music I should sing. What kind of music suits my voice, which is quite husky, thanks to heavy smoking and liking of whiskey when I was younger. Nowadays I prefer red wine to whiskey and it is gentler to my voice.

My voice hasn’t become any mellower though.

As for my voice I could easily imitate Janis Joplin, but I haven’t the power and strength Janis got, only the same hoarseness and the same liking to whiskey.

I’m afraid my limited range in notes (high and low) makes some demands to the music I’m able to sing. I can easily picture myself singing like Julie London, with a small, sensually rasping voice in a smoky bar, although I don’t share anything in common with Julie.

Not even the looks.

I’ve got so many questions without answers and that’s why I’d like to start singing lessons. I’d like to know should I sing evergreens by George Gershwin or should I stick to jazz-standards and ad lib (that’s really convenient –no need to panic if you’d happen to forget the words!).Maybe a singing teacher could answer me? They are professionals, aren’t they? At least they are being paid for trying to make singers out of pure amateurs.

People go to aerobic lessons, they do yoga, and they paint porcelain for hobby. They take piano lessons and they do ikebana.

I’ve never heard about anybody who sings for a hobby. Showers are for singing, karaoke too, but I don’t want to perform to a bunch of drunken friends in a pub and my skin is so dry I can’t take long enough showers.

And I want to sing.

So, maybe next autumn, I’ll start a new hobby. Let it pour, let it thunder, I don’t mind. I’m going to force the song from my heart out in the blue (or the grey sky).

And while waiting for the rainy season I must learn how to upload videos to youtube…

Oh, but you don't have to sing, Remf! You can play the drums, I can almost hear the rhythm, sounds pretty much like frantic banging, maybe the natives are calling us to supper?Yeah, you take care of that throat(I can recommend whiskey) and practise with your drums.I'll bet Reiska would love to be the slide-gitarrist, he's just fabulous with slippin' and slidin'.

You are absolutely right! The drums are the soul of any decent jazz or rock group! Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnnette...

Just watch in Youtube Miles Davis appearing in Isle of Wight festival; the name of the performance is "Call It Anything" - cool fusion jazz, the best you could hear those days - and especially Jack DeJohnnette, he's simply _hip_, as he always was.

Well, I did hit(or bang) the jackpot -I've pictured you for a drummer -cool jazz, yes.I know that playing drums is no banging, don't you remember that I've drummed with my feet and I know that one has to be very gentle and delicate with the beat.Youtube, here I come...

But be cautious with the technical terms: cool jazz is different from fusion jazz. I dig both, but fusion is always fusion. Much of the credit goes to Miles Davis, who is one of the few to to labeled genius in this field, Coltrane was good, ok, Parker died so early... part of being a genius is to stay alive long enough...

Honestly, Remf, I dig only cool jazz, just couldn't tell you right away that fusion jazz is a little painful to my years. I was afraid you wouldn't stick to your drums if you'd know that.Miles Davis is ok, if he stops fiddling with notes after four minutes. Everything necessary can be said under four minutes.(same goes often with litereture -no need to write a novel, stick to a short story).Well, that's my point of view, will you still be the drummer? Are we even now, I come to remember you weren't that hot with Janis the Joplin:))

Probably your band needs a manager to pinch your royalties and do all those things managers normally do? I can't sing, and I'm a man, in fact not very suitable to your Rockin' Sisters, but remember me, when You choose your band's manager ;)